List of Hellblazer characters
The following is a list of characters in the Hellblazer mythos published by Vertigo imprint. John Constantine A Liverpudlian magician and conman, and the main character in the series. He first appeared in Swamp Thing issue 37 in June 1985. In his early appearances, Constantine was depicted as a sorcerer of questionable morality, whose appearance was based on that of the musician Sting (specifically, as Sting appeared in the movies Brimstone and Treacle and Quadrophenia). Alan Moore created the character after artists Stephen R Bissette and John Totleben, who were fans of Sting's band The Police, expressed a desire to draw a character who looked like Sting. Major characters Francis William 'Chas' Chandler John Constantine's best friend, and a London taxi driver. Originally his friendship was abused by John Constantine to get transport and assistance whenever he needed it, as he 'owed' him for an exorcism and for helping him when involved in a gangland killing. However over the course of the comics, the depth of their relationship is shown frequently, with John helping with Chas's granddaughter when she falls into a coma, and frequently apologising for being too demanding of him. Chas Chandler is portrayed as being a little slow, but ultimately good natured, although he is often involved on the outskirts of criminal enterprises. His name is a reference to Chas Chandler, the bassist of The Animals and manager of Jimi Hendrix, who he is a big fan of He has since appeared in his own mini series Chas – The Knowledge. First Appearance in Hellblazer #1 Cheryl Masters John Constantine's sister, wife of Tony Masters, and mother of Gemma Masters. Their rough upbringing, both with their father and their Aunt and Uncle when he was incarcerated brought them close together, despite some animosity due to John's not being around. Cheryl was murdered by her husband, under the influence of John's offspring with the demon Rosacarnis, and despite John's efforts to rescue her, now resides in hell, in order to protect her husband, who committed suicide. First Appearance in Hellblazer #4 Tony Masters Cheryl's husband and John Constantine's brother-in-law. He's a religious man of God, who is also a fanatic. He loves his family so much, but is sometimes a control freak over his daughter Gemma. He sometimes carries a grudge on John, but considers him a family and will invite him over to their household on occasions. During the "Reasons to be Cheerful" arc, one of John's demon children targeted him and used his religious fanaticism to make John's life miserable. Appearing as an angel, they trick Tony into killing his wife Cheryl and almost killing his daughter believing that following God's "orders" will save them. He is later filled with grief and committed suicide. To which his soul resides in Hell together with his wife. First Appearance in Hellblazer #4 Gemma Masters Daughter of Cheryl, originally 10 years old when she first appeared, running away from her parents. She has since been haunted by her grandad, after his murder. As she has grown up, she has developed an interest in magic, and has accompanied John on many of his most recent adventures. She looks up to her Uncle John. First Appearance in Hellblazer #4 Epiphany Constantine Epiphany Constantine (formerly Epiphany Greaves) is John Constantine's wife. A young woman in her early 20s, Epiphany is of average height and has blue hair and facial piercings. Her clothing varies but usually has a punky or indie aesthetic. She is a skilled alchemist, having been sent to alchemy school by her gangster father, Terry Greaves. Epiphany is a proud, resourceful and intelligent young woman but has spent much of her life dominated by Terry and so is naturally defensive, sarcastic and cutting around strangers. John fell in love with her and married in Bloody Carnations storyline. First appeared in Hellblazer # 256. Mary 'Zed' Martin An artist, who met John Constantine in a London alleyway. She was recruited by the 'Resurrection Crusade', an extremist Christian group to bear the second coming, but John Constantine stopped this from happening. She then helps stop the Fear Machine, and later assists John in finding out about his twin. First Appearance in Hellblazer #4 Actress Angélica Celaya will be portraying Zed in the upcoming TV series Constantine. Chantinelle Better known as 'Ellie', a succubus, and ally of John Constantine. Ellie is a disgraced succubus befriended by the notorious occultist John Constantine . She is subservient to the powerful demon Triskele . She is approached by the First of the Fallen while relaxing in her garden. He plans to use her to get to John Constantine, as they are old allies. She jumps across worlds to Earth, smashing through the inside of the Big Ben clock face. She falls into the Thames and hides in the London sewers, where she is found by Constantine. She describes the jumping as a task which severely hurts her; as she says 'I might never be well again'. First appearance in Hellblazer #43 Kathryn 'Kit' Ryan An ex-girlfriend of John Constantine's friend, Kit and John had a doomed love affair in Garth Ennis' run on the title. An Irishwoman who is aware of John's trade, she and John move in together, but she left him and returned to Ireland after he was responsible for two National Front thugs breaking into her house. She has since appeared briefly as the face of the demon Rosacarnis, to enable her to father a child with John, and she came to John's wedding to Epiphany Greaves. The character was popular enough to warrant a special, Heartland First appearance in Hellblazer #44 Map A tube maintenance worker, who also happens to be a powerful mage, drawing his power from the city of London itself. He could have been king of the magi but instead elected to live a quiet life clearing up rail lines on the London Underground. Map has assisted John Constantine on several occasions, but has also used him to further his own ends. Map is a middle-aged black man of average build (although he is sometimes portrayed as being rather slimmer) with short hair and, sometimes, a moustache and soul patch. He also has the ability to move his physical form into another plane accessible by reflections; in these instances only his face is visible in the reflection, although sometimes he is able to project a giant image of his head, three dimensionally, out of the glass. Although the nature of Map's magic has never been explicitly stated, it is always linked to locations in some way - particularly London. Uses of his abilities include locating someone using magic; sending a possessed woman to sleep by making her remember her childhood bedroom; calling on the energies of the London Underground train lines to protect him; calling on roads, rivers and other elements of London's geography to increase his power; and swapping the images seen through two windows to trick an enemy. In Hellblazer issue 223, it was implied that Map's magic is a two-way street; that just as he draws power from London, it can draw it back from him. The exact nature of this - whether 'London' is an actual, conscious entity or an unfeeling, unthinking mass of magic is unclear. Likewise, although he has called upon the spirits of motorways, train lines and rivers, even calling them 'brothers' and 'sisters', it is unclear whether he is speaking to an actual creature (akin to a water nymph) or whether he is anthropomorphising power sources. First appearance in Hellblazer #135 Angela 'Angie' Spatchcock A fellow magic user and Liverpudlian, John meets Angie working in a cafe near his sister's council flat. She soon becomes his companion on his journeys, principally through Mike Carey's run on the title. She was last seen at John's wedding, looking down on her luck. Her personality is more than enough to back up her claim: she's sharp-tongued, a talented magician and a scrappy fighter. However, she does have a more vulnerable side that comes to the fore when she's around her brother Jason, a paranoid schizophrenic whom she has had to care for on occasion First Appearance in Hellblazer #175. God Mentioned many times, The Christian God is the creator of both Heaven and Earth. A caring and loving creator, though his actions are sometimes in question by many. John occasionally harbors a deep hatred for him, but is willing to help out if needed. In Hellblazer # 128, John met God during campfire in the woods. A disheartened John whines about the state of the world and God's unwillingness to make it all better. Countering John's bitterness, God questions the wisdom of allowing the whole world the same insights which John has gained. Begrudgingly, Constantine accepts God's point as the various factions of Hell who allied against him get exactly the good reward they deserve. John later tricks him by God knowing that John has sold his soul to the devil, and Constantine makes a veiled threat about his inevitable rise through the ranks of hell and his plans for heaven thereafter, God agrees to remove the taint from John and his friends. Villains The First of the Fallen A demon, and ruler of Hell. Known in the mortal world as Satan (not the same as Lucifer), tried to claim the soul of a friend of Constantine's that had been sold to him. He was tricked (and assaulted) by Constantine, resulting in him missing his agreed-upon deadline to claim the soul. Later in the same storyline, the First was shown as being one of a triumvirate of rulers in Hell - with the other two devils (the Second and Third of the Fallen) only having the power to defeat him if they acted together. This later led him to have a grudge on Constantine. First appearance in Hellblazer #42 Nergal A demon, who gives John Constantine his demon blood in an attempt to trap him. Nergal is the demon originally summoned in Newcastle, at the failed exorcism which set John's magical career in motion. John originally escaped him by luring him to the edge of Heaven, where he was punished accordingly. He has since returned several times, after clawing his way back up through the ranks of Hell. His daughter, Rosacarnis has also taken up her father's vendetta against John Constantine. First Appearance in Hellblazer #8 Rosacarnis A high-ranking demoness and the daughter of Nergal. John Constantine met her while she was in the guise of a little girl. Before he left for Earth, Nergal took Rosacarnis down to a cellar, where he was keeping Eryme, a servant. He had heard Eryme singing to Rosa while she brushed her hair, in order to comfort the young demon after the loss of her mother. Nergal warned Rosa that she should not show her weakness to those beneath her, and had her stab Eryme to death. He then left for Earth, leaving his butler, Druoth, in charge of Rosa. Nergal was betrayed and sent back to Hell by John Constantine humiliatingly. As the new ruler of her father's estate in Hell, she sought to defeat John Constantine. In 2004 she tricks John into conceiving with her three children whom attempted to destroy everything John loves so he can never allow himself to live. They almost succeeded, but during a confrontation with John in Hell, The First of the Fallen appears, and growing weary of the whole thing, killed Nergal, Saul, Adam and Rosa. First Appearance in Hellblazer #194 Papa Midnite A vodun shaman and businessman, who has survived since revolutionary times. John met him sometimes before the beginning of Hellblazer and ripped him off fifty thousand dollars. They meet again in Hellblazer 1 when John seeks his help to fight Mnemoth. Midnite accepts to help because of the threat the demon poses even though he still hates John for swindling him. Later, John returns to New York and Midnite tries to get his revenge on him. When it fails, Midnite apparently commits suicide. However, it has since been shown that he survived in his eponymous Hellblazer Special and his relationship with Constantine appears to have thawed somewhat. First Appearance in Hellblazer #1 Midnite will be the series villain in the upcoming NBC TV series. The Golden Child John Constantine's more perfect twin, who died before birth. He was ostensibly meant to be the greatest magus who would live, uniting Britain in an age of magic. It later turns out that his spirit had been manipulating the events in John's life, including his cancer during Garth Ennis' Dangerous Habits, and his memory loss during Mike Carey's Stations of the Cross arc. First Appearance in Hellblazer #35 Archangel Gabriel A high-ranking official of Heaven, Angel Gabriel occasionally visits the mortal realm to do the "will of the Lord". Though an angel he is depicted as lacking any empathy with human beings and being generally indifferent to individuals. If he cares for man at all, it is as a species alone. He is tricked by Constantine when he fell for a woman, who actually is Ellie the succubus. His heart was ripped out of him during their sex, thus rendering mortal. By securing Gabriel's heart, John managed to make Gabriel do his bidding. It was short lived though, as Gabriel is later murdered by The First of the Fallen. Anti-Christ The Anti-Christ appears many times in different forms, trying to find a way to conquer the world and bring Armageddon. It was first mentioned during a clash between Nergal's Damnation Army and The Resurrection Crusade, a militant Christian group. Both were trying to fulfill the prophecy that said a child would be born that would change the world; the Army planning the birth of the anti-Christ and the Crusade trying to create a new messiah. John was able to defeat both sides by helping Swamp Thing father a half-human child and dragging Nergal to Heaven and tortured for decades. Most recently happened when, under the alias Fuckpig, entered the body of a gangster's son. The boy whose name is Ronnie Cooper, was killed by an accident, and in order to resurrect him, John was forced to seal the demon inside of Ronnie. But over time the seals wore away and John lost control of the demon. Still in the body of the boy it hatched a plan to impregnate the now-senile Harry with a demon child to bring about a new anti-Christ. Constantine and Chas managed to foil the demon's plans and destroyed. The Family Man A former policeman and serial killer. He kills families, taking a souvenir, which he then sells on through a fence. The Family Man was a pessimestic old man who, when he was a kid, killed both his parent while they slept. When Constantine attempted to catch him, the Family Man retaliated by killing Constantine's father. Both him and Constantine fought afterwards, where in the end Constantine shoots and kills him with a Webley revolver (later retconned as a .357 Magnum in RSVP). After being shot dead by John Constantine, he is noted as missing in The Sandman story arc The Doll's House, where he was to have been the guest of honour at a serial killer's convention. First Appearance in Hellblazer #24 King of the Vampires The king of the vampires, who after being refused by John Constantine, after offering him a job, seeks revenge. The King of the Vampires bears a surprising resemblance to the actor James Dean, complete with leather jacket and brown quiff hair, although he is completely unrelated. He has spent tens of thousands of years on Earth, killing and feeding on humans. As a result he sees them as little more than cattle and thinks nothing of maiming and murdering them purely for his own amusement. For the most part, the King looks entirely human, save for a pair of retractable fangs. However, he can also take on different forms, including that of a giant, shaggy dog. It has also been suggested that he can transform into a living mist. He is poisoned by John's demon blood, leaving him incapacitated at the sun rises. First appearance in Hellblazer #50 The Demon Constantine In order to escape a plot by the First of the Fallen, John Constantine summoned a creature made of his less savoury emotions, and condemned this, rather than himself to Hell. The Demon Constantine has returned to seek revenge several times, most recently temporarily killing John, and sexually abusing Gemma Masters at John's wedding. First appearance in Hellblazer #95 Myrddin The last of the elves on Earth and one of the Merlins, Myrddin is one of King Arthur's archenemy. In the medieval times, both Myrddin's armies and King Arthur would clash for the ownership of the Holy Grail. This dragged on till the 20th Century, where although Myrddin finally destroys Arthur's court, he is unable to find the grail, and thus threatens John Constantine to find it by taking his friend Rich the Punk and his family hostage. Myrddin in modern times appears as a politician and powerful rich man, using his powerstodecimate Arthur and Constantine. Finally during a stand-off, John gives him a fake grail, which turned out to be holy poison that killed the elf. First appearance in Hellblazer #110 Colonel George Burke Colonel Burke was a 19th-century military coward who fled the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Drunken and disgraced, he subsequently raped and murdered a young Indian girl. As punishment a Mumbai magician, The Sadhu, sent him into a dark, Hellish realm for eternity. But Burke grew stronger there and eventually transformed into a demon. Burke was later freed by film director Vikram Dhawan and compelled to do his bidding until Burke killed him. John Constantine, Epiphany Greaves and the (apparently immortal) Sadhu were able to destroy Burke by confronting him with his own cowardice. First Appearance in Hellblazer #261 Julian A Babylonian genderless shapeshifter, that enjoys inflicting pain on human beings. Julian's true form is a hulking demon with four pendulous breasts, long, curved nails, rigid wings and hair-like tentacles, but is first seen in the series in the form of a schoolgirl with bulging eyes and messy black hair. Julian enjoys 'projects' in which he explores new ways to cause mental and physical pain, like harvesting the skin and organs of suicidal people while they are alive and paralysed. Julian was screamed into existence in ancient Babylon by a whore of Ishtar, who wanted to create a demon that would bring misery to the world of men. Julian is first contacted by Constantine after John becomes infected with a mysterious magical scab that creeps across his body. Julian, currently taking the guise of a young girl, gives him some of his old skin, which he assures will relieve John's symptoms if heated up, melted down and rubbed on the affected area. What he doesn't say is that the skin is also extremely addictive. Julian later betrays Constantine and his wife Epiphany by capturing them in his "prison". But John managed to protect himself from Julian's powers, weakened him, and threw him in the prison while other prisoner kicked him to death. First appearance in Hellblazer #251 Mako Mako is a powerful blood mage from Sudan who is a master of sympathetic magic - the ability to kill people by manipulating object (e.g., decapitating someone by popping the lid off a champagne bottle) but his main MO is blood magic. He binds the souls of his victims into their bodies and absorbs their power and memories while he eats their brains while they're still alive. His relentless quest for power led him to John Constantine, whom he deemed to be the most powerful magician in the world, whom he hoped to consume and absorb. In his first appearance Mako looks to be around 30 years old, with sharpened teeth. While he is apparently human, Mako has red eyes with vertical slits - a sign of his malicious and dangerous nature. He is a merciless killer who take a particular delight in terrifying and torturing his victims before he kills them. Constantine managed to trick him for his soul to leave his body, while Constantine takes control of it and prevents Mako from ever returning from his body. First appearance in Hellblazer #239 S.W. Manor S.W. Manor also known as Stanley, is an American homosexual wizard who carries a grudge against John Constantine. Started when John deceived Stanley in the 70s by giving him a fake magical clock, this later stems out more when John breaks his relationship with Stanley. Stanley grew up in a wealthy heritage and became a powerful politician. Stanley is deeply in love with John, but their relationship wanes and ends up with Stanley tricking John into sending him into an American prison. John is freed, and gets even with Stanley by killing him in his own house. First appearance in Hellblazer #167 Supporting characters The Ghosts The ghosts are the spirits of John Constantine's dead friends, who have had the misfortune to have been killed by his enemies or his carelessness. They often appear to gloat when John is having a bad time. * Sister Anne Marie- One of the 'Newcastle Crew', who witnessed John Constantine's failed exorcism. She was so traumatised that she became a nun afterward. She was eventually killed by an entity known as an Ivunche, and has since haunted Constantine. First Appearance in Swamp Thing #32 * Emma- John Constantine's ex-girlfriend, an American artist from Brooklyn. She accidentally summoned the Ivunche which threw her from her window, killing her, causing her haunting of John. First appearance in Swamp Thing #37 * Gary Lester- former drummer of Constantine's band, "Mucous Membrane", following which he became a drug adict. John was forced to sacrifice him to trap the demon Mnemoth. First appearance in Hellblazer #1 * Astra Logue- The victim of the failed exorcism in Newcastle, consigned to Hell leaving nothing but her disembodied arm as John escaped trying to save her. It was this event that resulted in John's being institutionalised in Ravenscar asylum. First appearance in Hellblazer #11 * Thomas Constantine- John Constantine's father, murdered by 'The Family Man'. He has since haunted John Constantine, and briefly his niece, and it has been revealed that he was responsible for the death of John's twin and his mother, during a failed abortion attempt. First appearance in Hellblazer #28 Other gods Besides from the Christian God, many other gods or godlike beings from different ethnic and worldwide culture are seen throughout the series, some are enemies. * Anansi - An African trickster god, Anansi traditionally takes the form of a spider, but when Papa Midnite called him up to help create a slave rebellion in 18th century New York City he appeared in the form of an anthropomorphic rabbit. Anansi told Midnite to create a doomed rebellion, the spilled blood of which would ignite further rebellions, leading to the overthrow of the white man. But really Anansi was just mocking Midnite's arrogance. After he'd stirred up enough trouble, the god let Midnite be captured by white oppressors and burned (although Midnite, being immortal, survived). * Kali - a Hindu god of destruction and death, among other attributes. She was summoned when John Constantine used the Red Sepulchre to bind her in the body of a man named Goodall, who then went on a rampage. Constantine then freed and sent Kali on, leaving Goodall brain-damaged. * M'Nagalah - A Cthulhu cancer god of the Russian tree spirits known as The Leshy, M'Nagalah was summoned to Earth by a vengeful Leshy and given form by the guilt - a kind of psychic cancer - of Pyotr Konstantin. It then consumed all of human life across the planet, with the exception of Konstantin, who was able - with the help of his descendant, John Constantine, and the rest of The Trenchcoat Brigade - to travel through time and kill his younger self before M'Nagalah could fully manifest. M'Nagalah then tried to enter the body of Mister E, sensing his considerable guilt and self-hatred, but E was able to trap and destroy the god within his own mind. * Mictlantecuhtli - An Aztec god and personification of Death whose worshipers are largely based in Los Angeles appearing in the graphic novel All His Engines. Mictlantecuhtli used to be worshiped by the ancient Mexicans before the conquistadors destroyed or converted his worshipers. Instead of disappearing he stayed and find worshipers from different occult, and with the rising popular media depiction of Death. He worked with John to take down the demon Beroul but later turned on him. Unfazed, John was able to bluff the god into backing down from a confrontation. * Rainbow Serpent - Living in The Dreamtime, The Rainbow Serpent is a god of the Australian aboriginal peoples, who protects them. Constantine called on her to help out Jeffo and his tribe after white landowners tried to kick them off. The Serpent was initially hostile to John until he threatened to shake the aborigines' belief in her, which would weaken her. Instead, he offered up a sacrifice: the white men who'd tried to steal her people's land. * Lord of Dance - A god of merriment, drinking and fun. He is an avatar of rejoicing and merriment, The Lord of the Dance has a jovial, kindly and gregarious attitude and is extremely loyal to his friends. The Lord of the Dance was a pagan god of joy, parties and merriment who would dance alongside ancient Britons during their winter festivals. Over time, however, his worshippers were killed or converted by Christian missionaries, leaving him without any belief to sustain him. One Christmas Eve he encountered John Constantine, who took him to a local pub. There, The Lord was able to absorb some of the happiness of the revellers, restoring his power and faith in humanity. * Jallakuntilliokan - a powerful Lovecraftian god of destruction named "the god of all gods" and "fear machine". Its sole purpose is to destroy the eternal fabric of reality and to put an end to every existence. The freemasons worship it and attempts to give it a physical body to fulfill its duties. But John together with Zed stopped it and sent it back. * Three Fates - three being that sees time and death, and supervises a person's fate. The fates appeared to John to tell him about his upcoming death, but instead of escaping his demise, John accepts it as he lived an adventurous and fruitful life. Other Supporting Characters * Cedella- Papa Midnite's sister, murdered by him so that he could use her skull to further his magical knowledge. First appearance in Hellblazer #1 * Marj and Mercury- A travelling eco warrior, briefly romantically linked with John Constantine, and her psychically sensetive daughter. Mercury's kidnap formed the crux of The Fear Machine, and she later set John down the path that led to his discovery of 'The Golden Child'. First appearance in Hellblazer #14 * Detective Watford- A policeman who often offers John leads and information regarding his enquiries. His name is not actually Watford, and this nickname comes from an unspecified embarrassing incident that occurred on Watford High Street. First appearance in Hellblazer #134 * Clarice Sackville- An aging magician residing in London. She spends most of her time at the Tate Club, with her friend Albert, former magician to the Kray Twins. First appearance in Hellblazer #135 References Category:1988 comic debuts Category:Hellblazer Category:Horror comics Category:Judeo-Christian mythology in comics Category:Magic in comics Category:Occult detective fiction Category:Vertigo titles Category:DC Comics titles